Machine gun for flying machines



FQGEBAUER MACHINE GUN FOR FLYING MACHINES ZSheets-Sheet 1' Filed. Dec.3l, 1926 TTQRNEY8.

' NVENTQRI b QfM/Z/l/ a; w L:

May 29,- 1928.

F. GEBAUER MACHINE GUN FOR FLYINQ MACHINES I Filed Dec. 31, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'wvENTOR:

TTo RweYs,

Patented May 29, 1928.

UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FERENCZ GEBA'U'ER, OFYBUDAPEST, HUNGARY.

MACHINE GUN FOR FLYING MACHINES.

Application filed December 81, 1926, Serial No. 158,181, and in Czechoslovakia October 14, 1925.

In machine guns for shooting through the propellers of flying machines, it is known to actuate the strikers by means of the engine shaft whichdrives the propeller, whilst the breech block and cartridge feed are actuated by the gases generated in firing.

It is known also to actuate the complete mechanism by means of the engine shafts.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved machine gun for flying machines, with which, as the result of positive coupling of mechanical components, absolute reliability and timing between the propeller and the machine gun are obtained whilst the act of coupling is effected smoothly.

, According to the present invention, a clutch mechanism is disposed between the engine shaft and the shaft (hereinafter called the gun shaft) which actuates the machine gun, and is adapted to couple them together by first putting a friction clutch in operation and then a positive clutch, as the result of which the gun shaft, the striker positively connected therewith, and the breech block, constitute an integral unit driven positively by the engine shaft. When this has been done, a

cartridge feeding device may be driven inb termittently by a member actuated by the gun shaft, thus commencing to feed cartridges, so that the machine gun now dis charges bullets.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a typical embodiment of the machine gun constituting the invention, the engine actuating simultaneously two twin-mounted machine guns of the same pattern.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents in plan the general arrangement of the two machine guns; Figure 2 is a plan of the clutch mechanism and the shaft of one of the machine guns, in the inoperative position and on a larger scale; whilst Figure 3 is a partial elevation and partial section of a portion of a machine gun and its feed mechanism, on the same scale as Figure 2.

An engine shaft 1 drives a propeller 2 and gun shafts, 3, 3, each of which actuates a machine gun and is adapted to be coupled .with the engine shaft 1 by pressing a key 4.

Two coupling shafts 5, each of which is allotted to'a machine gun, are adapted continuously to be driven by the engine shaft 1 through bevel gearing;

For convenience, the mechanism will be deicribed with reference to one machine gun on y.

To the coupling shaft 5 is keyed a worm 6 with which is connected, by means of a pin 7, a split, spring ring 8, constituting one member of a friction clutch, said ring fitting loosely (in the unclutched condition) around a friction drum 11 secured on the gun shaft 3 and provided with a recess 10 in one face thereof. One end of the coupling shaft 5 has a bearing in a central bore in the friction drum 11 and is free to rotate therein.

A clutch collar.14, provided on the one hand with a finger 12 extending parallel with the common axis of the shafts 3 and 5 and towards the worm 6, and on the other hand with a dog 13, is mounted loosely so as to slide axially on the gun shaft 3, said collar being rotated by an oblique surface lug 16 on the friction ring 8, bearing against an oblique surface 15 on said finger 12,

Against the collar 14 bears a ring 17, which is slidable on an extension of said collar 14 provided with a flange 9 and a coiled spring 18 surrounds said extension between the ring 17 and the flange 9, whilst another coiled spring 19 is arranged between the flange 9 and acollar 46 on the gun shaft 3.

The worm 6 drives a worm wheel 20, which is integrally connected with a cam 21 provided with a nose 22 and a bell crank lever 23 is adapted at predetermined times to be moved into the path of the cam 21 and its nose 22 so as to be actuated thereby. The end of one arm of said bell crank lever 23 is formed with a step 24, whilst the end of the other arm carries a pawl 25. The step 24 is adapted to be engaged by the ends of adjacently situated bell crank levers 26 and 27, which are adapted to be rocked about their pivots by a clutch lever 28 having noses'29 and 30 of which the nose 29 bears against the lever 27, whilst the nose 30 bears against the lever 26. The levers 26, 27 are formed with noses 31 and 32 adapted to coact with a cam wheel 33, which is provided with two sets of teeth 34 and 35, angularly offset in relation to each other, the front teeth 34 acting on the nose 31, and

the rear teeth 35 on the nose 32. This cam wheel 33 is in one with a ratchet wheel 36, which is adapted to be advancedby the pawl 25 of the bell crank lever 23, and is prevented from return movement by a. pawl 37 A clutch fork-39 pivoted at 38, and connected with the ring 17, is formed at its free end with fingers 40 and 41 adapted to coact respectively with the two sets of teeth 34 and 35 on the wheel 33.

The throw of the clutch lever 28 is limited, when necessary, by a stop 42, which is provided on the clutch fork 39 and is adapted to encounter the lower arm of said lever.

At that end of the gun shaft 3 remote from the coupling shaft 5 is keyed a pinion 43 which meshes with a pinion 44, with a wrist pin on which is connected a driving rod 45 adapted to actuate a breech block 49 through a slider 48 attached thereto and situated in a breech casing 47. The breech casing 47, slider 48 and breech block 49 are provided with the usual accessories (striker, ejector, and so on),

A cam 50 rotatable as one with the pinion 44 is adapted at predetermined times to coact with one arm 52 of a three armed cartridge feed lever 51, another arm 53 of which is adapted to be engaged by a hooked end of one arm of a stop lever 54, the other arm of which is adapted to be engaged by a locking pawl 55.

By means of a drawbar 56 connected with its third arm, the cartridge feed lever 51 is adapted to actuate cartridge feed. mechanism through ratchet gear and a pair of bevel pinions, so that cartridges may be fed through an opening 57 in the breech casing 47.

The machine gun is brought into action by means of the key 4, a transmitting lever 58, a Bowden wire 59, a transmitting lever and a Bowden wire 61, the wire 59 being connected with the clutch lever 28, and the wire 61 with the stop lever 54 (Figure 3). The clutch lever 28 (Figure 2) and the looking pawl 55 are connected together by means of a Bowden wire 62. The various levers, pawls, and other components which are reversible or are: intended to prevent retrograde movement, are prefera 1y spring inuenced.

The machine gun operates in the following manner:

The engine shaft 1 (Figure 2) keeps the coupling shaft 5 in constant rotation, and with it the worm 6, the friction ring 8 and the clutch collar 14 (running idly on the gun shaft 3), the worm wheel 20 and the cam 21, whilst all the other parts of the machine gun remain stationary. 4

On the key 4 bein depressed, the Bowden wire 59 is operated t rough the transmitting lever 58 and turns the clutch lever 28 in the direction of the arrow 63 as far as the stop 42 on the clutch fork 39. This causes the nose 29 on the clutch lever 28 to lift the lever 27, thus disengaging its free end from the step 24 of the bell crank lever 23, and allowing the latter to swing, under the action of a spring, into contact with the cam 21 on the worm wheel 20. As the nose 31 of the lever 26 will, at this" moment, be resting on a tooth 34, said lever will not prevent this downward swing of the bell crank lever 23, which will bring the pawl 25 into position under the next tooth of the ratchet wheel 36, said ratchet wheel 36 being prevented by the safety pawl 37 from slipping back when the wheel is released by the pawl 25.

As the worm wheel 20 is in continuous rotation, its cam 21 will, in due time, lift the bell crank lever 23 and the pawl 25 will advance the ratchet wheel 36, and with it the wheel 33, by the angular distance of one tooth, thus raising the clutch fork'39 on account of the engagement of its finger 40, with a tooth 34 of the wheel 33. At the same time a tooth 34 is moved from beneath the nose 31 of the lever 26 and a tooth 35 is brought under the nose 32 of the lever 27. The raising of the clutch fork 39 lifts the clutch collar 14 by means of the ring 17, spring 18 and clutch collar 9, thus causing the oblique surface 15 on the finger 12 of the clutch collar 14 to coact with the oblique surfaced lug 16 on the friction ring 8, gradually and smoothlyto tighten said ring on the clutch drum 11; consequently the ring 8 carries round the gun shaft 3 with it gradually until, finally, the gun shaft 3 rotates as one with the coupling shaft 5, and the engine shaft 1.

The mechanism described in the preceding two paragraphs will be hereinafter referred to as friction coupling.

The rotation of the gun shaft 3 through the pinions 43 and 44, the driving rod 45, the slider 48 and the breech block 49, effects the alternating movements required for firing, or continuous firing, but since, however, the stop lever 54 retains the cartridgefeed lever 51 in an inoperative position, the cam 50 moves past the arm 52 of said lever without touching it, consequently the drawbar 56 remains at rest, no cartridges are fed and no shots are fired by the machine gun.

The movement of the clutch lever 28 in the direction of the arrow 63 to initiate the automatic connections above mentioned moved the nose 30 out of the path of the tail of the lever 26, and as aresult of the coaction of the cam 21 with the bell crank lever 23, the wheel 33 was advanced and one of the rear teeth 35 was brought underneath the nose 32 of the lever 27 (which has already been lifted by the nose 29 of the clutch lever 28), whilst one of the front teeth 34 was moved from under the nose of the lever 26, so that this lever descended and its free end engaged the step 24 to retain the bell crank lever 23 in its raised position.

Continued rotation of the cam 21 brings the cam nose 22 of the cam 21 into position under, and raises slightly, the bell crank lever 23.

This lift imparts a slight turn to the i and the sto ratchet wheel 36 and the wheel 33, so that the finger 40 of the clutch fork 39-(which latter, as already mentioned, has been raised on the pivot 38 through one division of the teeth 34 of the wheel 33)-disengages from the tooth 34 which raised said fork, with the result that the clutch fork 39 is pressed down about its pivot 38 by the spring 19, thus causing the clutch collar 14 to move towards the clutch drum 11 until the dog 13 on said collar engages in the recess 10 of said clutch drum 11, whereupon the previous friction coupling established between the shaft 5 and the gun shaft 3, is replaced-by themechanism described in this paragraph and in the preceding two paragraphs, which mechanism is hereinafter referred to as the positive coupling. Now the engine shaft 1, couplin shaft 5, gun shaft 3, pinions 43 and 44, driving rod 45, slider 48 and breech block 49 constitute a positive drive unit.

The descent of the clutch fork 39 carries the stop 42 out of the path of the lower arm of the clutch lever 28, so that on further depression of the key 4, the Bowden wire 59 may be drawn upon further to move the clutch lever 28 in the direction of the arrow 63, causing a pull to be exerted on the Bowden wire 62 and the locking pawl 55 to turn and release the stop lever 54.

If, now, the key 4 be depressed still further, it will turn the transmitting lever 60, thus, through the Bowden wire 61 turning the stop lever 54 (Figure 3), to release the cartridge-feed lever 51, the arm 53 of which is moved downwards under the action of a sprin so that the arm 52 moves upwards into t e path of the cam 50 on the pinion 44.

The rotation of-the cam 50 alternately depresses and releases the arm 52 of the cartridge-feed lever 51, so that the drawbar 56 actuates the cartridge feed mechanism through the ratchet gear and pair of bevel pinions to feed cartridges through the opening 57 in thebreech block casing 47, whence they are pushed, by a nose on the breech block, into the barrel. So long as the feeding of the cartridges is maintained, the machme gun continues to fire.

When the key 4 is released to the action of 1ts spring, the first result is that the transmitting lever 60, the. Bowden wire 61 lever 54 return to their normal positions, t e stop lever 54 engaging and retainmg the arm 53 of the cartridge-feed lever 51 and holding the arm 52 out of the path of the cam 50, so that the drawbar 56 comes to rest, the feeding of cartridges ceases, and the machine gun stops firing, and the slider 48, actuated by the driving rod 45, and the breech block 49 move idly.

The second result of the release of the key 4 is that the transmitting lever 58, the Bow den wire 59 and the clutch lever 28, the Bowden wire 62 and the locking pawl 55 return to their original postions and the locking pawl 55 blocks the stop lever 54.

The return movement of the clutch lever 28 continuing, its nose 30 engages the tail of, and lifts the lever 26, so that the free end of the latter is disengaged from the step 24, whereupon, the bell crank lever 23 is again brought into the path of the cam 21 and is raised thereby, thus causing the ratchet wheel, and with it the wheel 33, again to be advanced by the angular distance of one tooth. This causes one of the rear teeth 35 of the wheel 33 to lift the finger 41, that is to say, raises the clutch fork 39 aboutits pivot 38, thus raising the ring 17 and the clutch collar 14, disengaging the dog 13 from the recess 10, and interrupting the connection between the gun shaft 3 and the coupling shaft 5 so that the former, being no longer driven, slows down and stops, the pinion 44 together with theparts it actuates, assuming its original position of repose.

In consequence of the last mentioned rotation of the wheel 33, one of the rear teeth 35 is moved from under the nose 32 of the lever 27, thus allowing said lever to descend and its free end to engage and re- .tain the step 24 on the bell crank lever 23,

whilst one of the front teeth 34 is brought under the nose 31 of the lever 26 (which latter has been raised by the nose 30 of the clutch lever 28), thus supporting said lever 26, so that the entire machine gun is brought into the position of respose shewn in the drawing.

The propeller and breech block are set and retained in predetermined relative positions, so that, as the result of the positive connection of all the component parts, all the bullets are certain to pass through the spaces between the blades of the rotating propeller.

Within the limits of its construction and action, the characteristics of the present invention ma be modified freely without the invention itself suffering any alteration thereby.

Thus, for example, in place of one key 4,

there may be two, the shafts being coupled ascertained the nature of my said inventionand in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In a machine gun having a propeller axle and a firing device, the combination of tributor, a friction coupling operable by said distributor for immediately connecting the pro eller axle and the firing device, means e ective upon the operation of said friction coupling to establish a positive coupling between said axle and firing device, I

and means effective on the establishment of said positive coupling for delivering a cartridge.

2. An embodiment of the machine gun according to claim 1, having a coupling mechanism comprising a cam pinion driven continuously by a coupling shaft, a bell crank lever, a ratchet wheel, a cam wheel provided with two sets of teeth, two levers adapted to coact with said teeth, a clutch lever, a clutch fork, a clutch collar coacting with the coupling shaft, a friction clutch drum on the gun shaft, and a friction ring driven by the coupling shaft and adapted to grip the clutch drum, substantially as set forth.

3. An embodiment of the machine gun according to claim 1, having cartridge-feed mechanism comprising a cam continuously rotated from the gun shaft, a feed lever, a stop lever, a locking pawl, a drawbar and ratchet gear, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Budapest this 6th day of December, 1926.

FERENCZ GEBAUER. 

